Mother
by TF Princess
Summary: Each of the Time Force Rangers reflect on their mothers.
1. The Five

Author's Note: This is a Mother's Day story, so it's a little late, but I decided to post it anyway. It's just a short one about the TF rangers. I know some of them are more neglected than the others, but it was written quickly and some are just easier to write than others.  
  
Mother  
  
Jen sat on the sofa in the Clock Tower, staring silently into space. Today was Mother's Day, and she was thinking about her mother for the first time in many months. She'd been so preoccupied with catching Ransik and leading the team, she hadn't even thought about anyone back home. Even the one who meant the most to her.  
  
Her and her mother had always been close, they had to be really. They were all each other had in the world for so long. Every Mother's day was celebrated by Jen, doing whatever she could for her best friend, but she could never find the words to say how much her mother really meant to her. She never knew she would regret that so much. . .  
  
Her father had abused them both since Jen was little, first ignoring her and only beating her mother. But once she got older. . . she started getting in the way more, and he started paying more attention to her. That was when they left.  
  
They had nowhere to go, her mother had no family or friends to go to, but she took her daughter away to the city and started a new life for them there. She worked long and hard to give Jen a good life, and she never wanted for anything, ever. She didn't realize until she got a little older how much it took out of her mother. She never complained, she never eased up, she just worked harder and harder to give her daughter whatever she wanted.  
  
Jen took a shaky breath. How she wanted her mother there now! She would give anything just to talk to her, hear her comforting voice telling her everything would be okay. And she would make it okay, just like she always did. Jen didn't even realize she'd missed her so much.  
  
They'd always been able to talk about anything with each other, whatever was on their mind. They were the only one either had to talk to. Jen never had any friends growing up, and her mother was too busy working to make any. So they'd gotten closer, even through the difficult teenage years. Jen always knew who would be there for her.  
  
But not anymore. Her mother wasn't even born yet, she had no idea what her daughter was going through. But if she did. . . what would she say? Would she be proud of what Jen had done, how she had handled things? She could have done so much better. . . everything just went so wrong.  
  
Her mother had been so proud when Jen had decided to join Time Force. The cost never even came up in their conversation, she would provide for whatever was needed. Jen felt bad about it, but she had no money to talk of herself, and he mother wouldn't hear of putting off the Academy until she had more.  
  
It was hard when she left, leaving her. She'd never been away from her for very long, and she suddenly felt very alone. She stayed int he background, never talking to anyone or going anywhere. She did her work, and tried her best, but everything just went wrong. She couldn't finsih any assignment, and she was way behind every other student. She wrote to her mother often, telling her all about it. Each time she recieved encouragement enough to keep her going, but eventually she decided to quit.  
  
And that was when she met Alex. But she couldn't think about him now.  
  
She sighed, standing up. She couldn't think about any of it anymore.  
  
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Trip sat working on his new invention in the foyer of the clock tower, unable to concentrate on anything. They didn't even celebrate Mother's day on Xybria. But the day still had him thinking. Everyone was talking about their mothers, it was all over the TV and in the stores everywhere. He knew the rest of the team was thinking about theirs, and he couldn't get his mind of his.  
  
He missed her so much. He'd never tell any of the others, especially Lucas. He'd think Trip was such a sissy. But he couldn't help it. He hadn't seen her in. . . probably over a year. It had been awhile before they'd left for the past. She lived on another planet, after all, they didn't get to visit much.  
  
On Earth it was the father that the son was supposed to look up to and be closest with, which made sense, considering. But on Xybria things were different. No one understood one Earth, but his mother had meant everything to him. They'd always spent allot of time together, and shge'd taught him everything he knew.  
  
None of the other rangers would be surprised to find out that he was a mommy's boy, would they? They'd probably say it was obvious. But he didn't even care right now. He just wanted to see her.  
  
It had been a long time since he'd seen any of his family, and he wondered how they were. He knew, of course, that technically they weren't anything yet, since none of them were born, but he couldn't help thinking of them as out there somewhere. He just hated to think that he had no family.  
  
He sighed and tried to work on his invention again, but eventually just put it away. he couldn't keep his mind on it.  
  
He thought about the holiday. Mother's Day. A day just for mothers. He missed his enough. . . it must be horrible for people who didn't have one at all. It was probably invented for the right reasons, but it might cause more sadness than anything else.  
  
He thought about his mother. She'd been so involved all his life, from when he was born. She cared about every little thing he did, made big fusses overr the smallest things. And she smiled all the time. That was what he remembered the most. No matter what was going on, she could always manage a smile. It seemed like a small thing, but her smile convinced him that everything would be fine, no matter what was going on.  
  
She would be so proud of him if she knew what he was doing. Of course she'd probably never know, but just knowing how she would feel helped him keep going sometimes. She was always so supportive of his career in Time Force. No one else in the family had ever served, and it was quite a surprise when he decided to. But she'd been thrilled, so happy and proud. If she knew he was a power ranger. . . what would she say?  
  
He smiled a little as he thought about her. As much as he missed her, he could never be too sad while thinking about her. She'd made everyone so happy, she'd never want him to be sad over her. So he'd try not to be.  
  
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Katie looked at the picture of her family and brushed a tear away as it fell down her cheek. She missed them all so much, and especially her mother now. When was she going to see them again? Would she ever?  
  
No, she couldn't start thinking like that again, she had to stay positive. That had almost finished her last time. She had to remember why she was here. . . so she could go back to her family and have everything the same as it was before.  
  
But she couldn't help feeling a little down as she thought about her mother. They'd always been close, just like everyone in the family. They shared so much in common, did everything together. Her mother had even been in Time Force, though she resigned when she had children. They did everything alike, which wasn't entirely accidental.  
  
Katie had always tried to be like her mother, ever since she was little. Her mother was her hero, in everything. She'd always looked to her for guidance, in relationships, school, work, everything. Somehow she always had the answers.  
  
Even though she wasn't there now, Katie knew she was in some way. If no other way, than through her. She couldn't be there if a piece of her mother wasn't. She would always be there, no matter what. She'd always told her that.  
  
Growing up, things were always good for Katie. She never wanted anything, always had plenty of friends and was good at just about everything she tried. At first she'd been a little self-conscious about being so strong. She'd shown off at school her first day, and after that the kids stayed away, calling her "freak" and "mutant". She'd come home crying, and her mother had been there. She'd said that her inner strength was what mattered, and she shouldn't listen to any of them. But she'd also pointed out that Katie shouldn't be showing off anyway.  
  
Katie smiled as she recalled the incident. It seemed liek such a burden at the time, but not anymore, that was for sure. She jsut had to learn when was the appropriate time to use her special abilities. School wasn't the time. Her mother convinced her that it wasn't a bad thing, that she shouldn't try to hide or change who she was, but she didn't need to flaunt it everywhere.  
  
And she was right, as always.  
  
Katie looked up as someone entered the room. It was Lucas. He approached her, concern on his face, "Are you okay, Katie?"  
  
She nodded, "Yeah, I'm all right."  
  
"What's the matter?"  
  
"Nothing, it's just. . . " she looked down at the picture in her hand, "You know, it's Mother's Day, and I just got thinking."  
  
He nodded, "You and you're mother pretty close?"  
  
"Oh yeah. Best friends. What about you?"  
  
"Not really."  
  
"That's a shame."  
  
"We got along, we were just never that close. Me and my dad were, though."  
  
"Why not you and your mother?"  
  
"Well, you know, she's a girl."  
  
Katie laughed, "So?"  
  
"We had nothing in common."  
  
"I think you'd be surprised. Think about it a little."  
  
He paused, looking at her, "Maybe I will."  
  
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Wes entered the cemetary silently, carrying a bouquet of flowers. He went to the well-known place and knelt down before the headstone, brushing away some of the dirt that had gathered. He placed the flowers on it and sat there quietly, thinking about her.  
  
She had died quite a few years ago, when he was thirteen. They had been as close as any mother and son, not best friends, but he always knew how she felt about him. She thought it was the most important thing, to let people know how you felt. As the years went by he realized that was true.  
  
She had been the bridge between him and his father for years. They'd never really gotten along that well. His father didn't like him doing anything on his own, anything for fun. everything had to have a greater purpose. Eventually he learned to accept it and not argue. But his mother had always been able to sooth the egos and make everyone happy.  
  
He hadn't even realized how much she meant to him. . . until she was gone. He supposed that was how it usually was. How would you know? But he wished he had. He wished he could have told her. . .  
  
He knew his father felt the same way. He never told anyone how he really felt, and he loved her so much. But he only went further away from everyone else he cared about. Wes never understood him. After his mother's death, Wes wanted nothing more than to tell his father how much he cared about him, and hear him say it all back, just to know. But he didn't. He hardly saw his father after that.  
  
He never realized how much he needed a mother by his side, everything she did for him. She was always in the background, never spoke out about much, didn't get flustered or annoyed at anything, even when the two men in the house were enough to drive any woman mad. She was always so calm.  
  
He wiped away a tear as he thought about her. He still couldn't quite believe she was gone sometimes. She had always been there for him, he always knew he could count on her to be on his side. And then she was gone. . . so quickly. He'd never dreamed he'd have to live his life without her.  
  
He was in his room one night, working on his homework, when his father came into the room. He knew right away something was wrong, his father's usually stoic expression was obviously pained. He sat beside Wes on his bed and told him that his mother has been in a car accident, and she'd died. There was no way to soften the message, and he wouldn't know how anyway. It was better to just say it straight out.  
  
Wes was stunned, he couldn't believe it. He couldn't speak, or even move for a few minutes. His father tried to comfort him, but he just wanted to be left alone. She couldn't possibly be gone, he'd thought to himself. He knew if he just didn't accept it, it couldn't possibly be true.  
  
But it was true. They'd had the funeral a few days later, the viewing and wake too. It all felt like a dream. But the dreamer had a harsh awakening. Eventually he realized that it was all real, that she was gone and there was no bringing her back. It was the worst feeling he'd ever had. He just wanted to go to sleep and forget about everything, just sleep and never wake up.  
  
But of course he couldn't. He went on with everything, never took a break from any of it, his father wouldn't let him. He said the best thing to do was keep busy and not think about it. So that's what they did. It was hard, sometimes he didn't know if he even could. She had been his one friend, his supporter and comforter. Now she was gone.  
  
Over the years he had gotten more used to it, he supposed, but it all still seemed so unreal. And now he'd lost his father too. . . what would she think if she saw them today? She'd be dissapointed, no doubt, in what they'd done to each other. But what could he do about it now? His father didn't want anything to do with him. She would understand, like she always did.  
  
He stood slowly and stared at the grave. He missed her so much.  
  
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Lucas left the clock tower and walked slowly down the street, thinking about what Katie had said. It was true, he and his mother had never been close. He and his father had always done everything together, and his sisters were with their mother. That was just how it was, it seemed right. He'd hardly ever given a thought to her.  
  
But since it was Mother's day and all, he would. It seemed right to have her on his mind, even though she really wasn't even around yet.  
  
His mother was a young woman, full of energy and spirit, just like his sisters all were. Lucas was nothing like her. She had allot to say, was never afraid to say it, and enjoyed company and companionship. Her friends were always over, it seemed, and she never tired of entertaining them. Lucas had never liked it when they were over, and he'd always gone outside somewhere to get away from all the talking and noise. Actually, it seemed he'd avoided his mother allot. She always kind of embarrased him when she was around, she was so outgoing.  
  
Looking back, he felt a little regret at it. She surely noticed that he never wanted her around, especially in front of his friends. Now she was gone, completely. He thought for the first time of never seeing her again, and it bothered him more than he expected. What if they never did get back to the future? Or it was changed so much that nothing was the same as it had been at all?  
  
He took a deep breath, trying not to think about that. he couldn't let those kind of thoughts get to him, or he'd never get through it. He had to think that he would see them all again, and get to talk to them, tell them things.  
  
He turned his thoughts back to how things used to be. He'd always thought his mother was just there for her daughters, he had no need of her. But now that he really thought about it, he was wrong. It had always been her that had come to his aid, no matter what it was. When he was little, it was cuts and bruises, a lost cat, little things. When he got older, things got a little more serious, but no matter what it was or how serious it really was, she was always the one to comfort him and make things better.  
  
When he went off to the Academy, not long ago, she had been the one to write him and send him whatever he needed. His father had sent words or encouragement, along with the rest of the family, but his mother had worried over him, come to visit when she could, and make sure he had everything he needed or wanted- everything that was allowed, and some that wasn't. He'd been a little annoyed at her at the time, he kind of wanted to be left alone a little. The instructors were amused by his mothers concern and never let him alone about it.  
  
But she was just worried about him, he realized. She was trying to make his life as good as it could be, to make him comfortable and less homesick- which only she could even tell he was. Without her. . . his stay at the Academy wouldn't have been so easy really. Sure, the Instructors gave him a hard time, but really. . . he appreciated it all now. If only he could tell her that.  
  
He hadn't even paid any notice this morning when he saw Mother's Day on the calendar, but now he wanted nothing more than to see her, and talk to her. he had no idea what he would say, but he wanted to say something. Tell her that he was grateful for everything she'd done, all the cuts and bruises she's tended, everything. But he couldn't.  
  
He wondered if everyone else was feeling the same way today. But the other three had been close with their mothers, they'd said. At least they knew that. Before today he'd hardly even thought about his. And why today? It wasn't like he'd found out anything different, he just remembered things he already knew, and most things he didn't even like at the time. Must be the holiday.  
  
He turned and headed back to the clock tower. Maybe he'd talk to his friends about it. Or just listen to them, that was what he usually did.  
  
He saw Wes coming toward him, heading for the same place. "Hey," he said.  
  
"Hey," replied Wes quietly. His eyes were red and he looked upset, but he smiled anyway.  
  
"Are you okay?" asked Lucas.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied.  
  
"You sure? What's the matter?"  
  
"Nothing, I. . . " he paused, then looked at Lucas, "How about we talk about it inside?"  
  
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	2. Alex

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews and the advice! I really took them seriously and tried to do this one right! Please tell me if this is better! --- This is only Alex's chapter right now, I've been trying to get them all ready but he's the only one I've finished so I thought I'd just post it first. The others will be coming, hopefully soon!  
  
Mother Chapter Two- Alex  
  
Alex sat at his desk in Time Force Headquarters, monitoring the timeline as usual. The rangers had no idea what they were doing back there, how much they were changing things. But how could they? They weren't even supposed to be back there.  
  
He sighed and pressed a hand to his temple. His head was pounding. Not enough sleep, not with the events happening in the past. There was no way he'd rest now. But he was so tired . . .  
  
He stood, stretching slowly. Since his injury he'd spent all his time at his desk, never going out on the street anymore. He missed it, but he wasn't too anxious to go back, not feeling the way he did. But he missed Jen . . . did she miss him? How come she never contacted him? He wasn't permitted too, with them being on mission, but surely she could have found some free time to talk to him.  
  
He left the office and went down the hall to the officer's lounge. He would receive notice if anything happened to the timeline, he'd only be gone a couple minutes. Just long enough to get some coffee to keep him going.  
  
He entered the lounge and went to the machine, getting a cup of coffee. He glanced at the calendar and noticed the day: Mother's Day. He hadn't even realized it was coming up. He took a sip of his coffee and found himself staring at the words on the calendar, losing himself in memories he hadn't thought of in a long time . . .  
  
. . . He was three years old, walking silently down the hall to his mother's room. He stopped before her door, staring at it quietly. He held his blanket tightly, shaking slightly. He raised his hand and tapped on the door lightly, knowing she couldn't possibly hear him.  
  
But the door opened almost immediately, and his mother knelt down, "What's the matter, honey?"  
  
"I had a bad dream," he said quietly.  
  
"Oh, it was just a dream, sweetheart," she said, "It's okay now. What was it about?"  
  
He started to speak but then he remembered the monster from his dream and burst out crying, "Don't let it get me, Mommy."  
  
She picked him up and held him close, "Alex, it's okay. Come on, come sit with me for awhile." She brought him into her room and they sat together on her bed. She held him tightly as he cried, and he slowly began to realize that she wouldn't let anything happen to him. His tears let up and he stopped crying, raising his head and looking at his mother's face. She smiled down at him, "Feel better now?"  
  
He nodded.  
  
She brushed the remaining tears away and smiled, "Do you want to go back to bed yet?"  
  
He shook his head, and then rested it back on her chest, "No."  
  
"Okay." He could hear her laugh a little, "Get comfy then, you can stay with me."  
  
He curled up closer to her and closed his eyes, listening to the sound of her heartbeat. Nothing could get him as long as he was with her . . .  
  
. . . He was five, holding her hand as he walked down the street, splashing in the puddles. His mother laughed and pulled at his hand, "You're gonna get yourself all muddy, Alex."  
  
He ignored her and jumped in another puddle, then looked over at her and kicked some water onto her, getting mud on the pants of her uniform. She looked at him sharply, but couldn't hold back a smile. "What am I gonna do with you?"  
  
He just giggled and twisted away from her. She held on tight and kicked up some water, splashing him . . .  
  
"Alex, we're sorry, but your mother died."  
  
Alex stared at the man quietly. Who was he anyway? What did he know? "What do you mean?"  
  
"She's gone, Alex."  
  
"Why? What happened?"  
  
"Alex, you know she was very sick, right?"  
  
He nodded, "She's always sick." She had been allot. He never knew what was the matter. She was just sick allot.  
  
"Well, she got allot sicker, and she died."  
  
"But why?" Tears came to his eyes as he thought about it, "Why?"  
  
The man paused, "I'm sorry, Alex, I really am."  
  
Alex couldn't stop himself as he started to cry. He knew eight was too old to cry, but he couldn't stop himself. He sat down on the floor, putting his head on his knees, and cried for a long time . . .  
  
Alex came back from his reverie with a start as someone said his name. It was Captain Logan. Alex looked at the older man, "Sir."  
  
Logan nodded, "Alex. You look lost, what're you thinking about?"  
  
"Nothing." He gave the calendar another glance before starting to leave, "I have to get back to work, sir, really."  
  
Logan frowned, but nodded, "Okay. Take it easy."  
  
"I will." He nodded and left the room, heading down the hallway quickly. He entered his office and sat down again, turning on the screen. He sipped his coffee and didn't even notice it was cold.  
  



	3. Eric

**_Eric   
_**  
Eric sat at his desk and glanced through his papers quietly, all had to be read and signed before tomorrow. His new job as the leader of the Silver Guardians was time-consuming, and sometimes pretty boring, but he was getting there. This was where he wanted to be. From there . . . who knew what could happen?  
  
He sighed. This was what he wanted all right. He'd been happy and content in his new job for the few weeks he'd been at it. So what was it that had been eating at him all day? He couldn't concentrate on anything, his thoughts kept drifting. He wasn't used to that, he was used to focusing and getting things done.  
  
So why could he today?  
  
He glanced at the calendar on his wall. It couldn't be that it was Mother's Day. Why should that matter? He'd always ignored the day before, easily. But things had been different then. That couldn't his problem, could it?  
  
Why should it be? He had nothing to do with her anymore, hadn't for years. Since she'd left that night. He gritted his teeth as he thought about it, anger stirring in him once more. She just left, no reason except that she couldn't stand to be there anymore. He'd had his father, but that didn't last. The bastard walked out on him not long after she did. Not that it was a big loss.  
  
Why had she done that? To this day it bothered him, nagged at his thoughts. He never thought about when she left, but he always wondered why. How could she just leave?  
  
He shook his head, _Get control of yourself, Myers. It was a long time ago, it doesn't matter now. _None of that mattered. He didn't need them anyway. He never did, he never would. He'd done just fine without them; he proved it to himself many years ago. He was better off alone.  
  
He picked up some papers and started reading them over, trying to concentrate, and pushed his other thoughts aside.

------Later that night he pulled into the driveway and got out of his car, heading for the front door. It had been a long day, one he was glad to be through with. He opened the door and went into the house, tossing his keys on the hook and turning on the light.  
  
He went to the answering machine, but there were no messages, as he'd expected. He'd been at work all day, who else would call him? He turned to shut the door and an image came to his mind, one he'd been trying to forget . . .  
  
_. . . "Mom, where're you going?"  
  
"I'm leaving, Eric," she put on her coat and turned to her seven year old son, "Maybe I'll see you around sometime."  
  
"When're you coming back?"  
  
"I'm not," she said shortly.  
  
He swallowed, "But why're you leaving?"  
  
"Because I can't stand this anymore!" she shouted. "Okay? I can't stand you, I can't stand_ him _and I can't stand anything about this place!"  
  
He looked at her silently as she grabbed her keys and left the house, slamming the door . . .  
_  
. . . Eric slammed the door, shutting the image from his mind. "Damn it!" he shouted. "Why did she do that?"  
  
He clenched his fist and took a deep breath. It didn't matter anymore. Maybe if he told himself that enough times he'd eventually believe it.  
  
He hadn't thought about it in years, it had been so long buried in his mind. Why would he think about it? It wasn't a good memory, though not an unusual one in his life. He sighed. _Don't go feeling sorry for yourself now,_ he told himself. He'd decided long ago not to care what anyone else said or did. What did it matter? They couldn't change him now; they couldn't change what he'd made of himself. They never would.  
  
He looked around the house. The same one he'd lived in all those years, right until she left. He didn't know why he went back. He told himself it was because the house was cheap and in fair condition, there weren't many good houses for rent in Silver Hills. But he could never quite figure it out. Why should he return there? It held some of the worst memories of his childhood.  
  
He went to the living room and sat down on the couch, staring at the blank TV screen. At least the day was almost over, maybe he could forget again, shove it all back inside. The only thing that mattered was the present. The past held nothing . . .  
  
_. . . She looked up at him from the floor where she sat as four year old Eric ran his toy cars across the couch he sat on, "Eric, honey, I told you to clean that up. I'm trying to get the house ready for Daddy to come home."  
  
"I don't want daddy to come home," he said simply.  
  
"Well, he's going to."  
  
"You wanna play with me?" he asked hopefully.  
  
"I can't."  
  
"Why?"  
  
She shook her head, a small smile appearing on her face, "Because I'm busy."  
  
"Oh." He turned back, disappointed.  
  
She was silent a moment, then gave in, "Well, maybe for a little." She stood up and went to the couch, sitting beside him, "Which ones do I get?"  
  
He handed her one, "The fire truck."  
  
"Is that it?"  
  
He nodded.  
  
She laughed, "Okay. If you wanna be the whole town by yourself."  
  
They played for awhile, not paying any mind to anything, until they heard the front door slam . . .  
  
_. . . He looked beside him on the couch, but it was empty. Just like it had been for years.  
  
Why couldn't she have stayed like that? What had changed? He'd been too little to know what was going on, but he saw her transform, quickly. What had killed everything inside her? It was like she stopped caring about them, stopped caring about anything, like she just hated the world she lived in and wanted to go to another one.  
  
_So she did_, Eric thought bitterly, _But for some of us it wasn't that easy_. Why didn't she take him with her? Why did she hate him? He hadn't done anything; he was only six or seven. And yet, for some reason, her feelings had changed . . .  
  
_. . . "Eric, where the hell have you been?"  
  
"I went outside, I was playing."  
  
"Well, stay in here from now on, okay? I didn't say you could go anywhere!"  
  
"Okay," he said softly. Why was she so mad? He always went outside, he played with the boy across the street every day.  
  
He went to the living room and sat down, turning on the TV. He watched it for a few minutes, ignoring his mother when she came in. Why was she always so mad now? Maybe Daddy was being mean again.  
  
She looked at him, "Why don't you go outside or something?"  
  
"You told me I had to stay inside," he said.  
  
"Well, go somewhere where you're not in my way, okay? I can't get anything done with you underfoot."  
  
"Okay," he said, getting up. He looked at her, "Mommy, are you okay?"  
  
"I'm fine!" she shouted. "Just go away, leave me alone." She sighed, "I don't even know why you're still here."  
  
His six year old mind didn't fully understand what she meant, but he knew she didn't want him around for some reason. He went to his room and sat on his bed, getting out a book and looking at it quietly. He heard his parents' voices downstairs.  
  
"Eric is driving me crazy, why don't you keep that kid away from me?"  
  
His daddy's voice replied harshly, "Well it's not like I want him around either! What's your problem?"  
  
She didn't say anything for a while, then said, "I just can't take him right now, and I can't take you."  
  
"Me? What did I do?"  
  
"You've done everything, so just shut up."  
  
Eric listened to the conversation, not sure of what they were talking about. Why were they so mad? Daddy was always mad, but Mommy never used to be. She didn't even seem to like him anymore . . .  
_  
Eric took a deep breath. Why was he thinking about all this? He'd never understand it; never know what went wrong, or what he did wrong. He didn't care. No explanation could be good enough, not to justify what he went through because of her. If only she'd stayed . . .  
  
_But she didn't_, he reminded himself. _She didn't stay because she didn't care. She probably never did. She was just like everyone else.  
_  
He found himself wondering what had happened to her, where she was. Did she ever think about him? Had she found the better world she'd been after? The one without him in it? He hoped she hadn't. He hoped she lived in misery for all she'd done to him. And he hoped someday she'd know what he had made of himself, so she'd know that she couldn't ruin him, he could do it without her.  
  
At least that's what he told himself. After a while, that's what he made himself believe. He hated her. Why shouldn't he? She obviously felt the same way about him.  
  
He stood up and went to his room, preparing for bed. He glanced at the time and nodded. At least this miserable day was over.  
------ 


End file.
